1. My Hearts Desire

My Heart's Desire

Meditations

on

Scripture Truths

By

MAYNARD A. FORCE

AUGUSTANA BOOK CONCERN

Rock Island, Illinois

Copyright, 1949

by

Augustans Book Concern

(To the best of my knowledge this book is in the public domain. WMA)


Chapter One
My Heart's Desire

Brethren, my heart's desire and my supplication to God is for them, that they may be saved. Romans 10: 1.

In these words Paul revealed his heart's desire. He yearned for the salvation of his people. He not only said this, but his entire life proved it. He was willing to pay any price to accomplish this end.

No desire is stronger than our "heart's desire." It takes first place in our lives, leads the way, and pulls with it our entire being. Like the prodigal son, we "will gather all together'' and set out in pursuit of our heart's desire. It becomes the ruling force of our lives, and we make ourselves its willing slaves. If it is the Lord we seek, we will be well rewarded, for His promise is, "Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart'' (Jeremiah 29: 13). However, if the desire of our hearts is to satisfy our own selfish nature we are doomed to eternal destruction. "For if ye live after the flesh, ye must die'' (Romans 8: 13).

The Lord always looks at the desires of our hearts. "For Jehovah seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearances, but Jehovah looketh on the heart'' (1 Samuel 16: 7). The Lord is never deceived by a false appearance, for He knows us as we are. Jesus exposed a group of hypocrites in His day who were trying to hide their heart's desire. He said of them, "This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me'' (Mark 7: 6). If our lips and our heart do not correspond, our Lord always goes by the heart. That is why the prophet Joel cried, "Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto Jehovah your God'' (Joel 2: 13). It is indeed timely that we check on the desires of our hearts.

The Lord can give us the right kind of a "heart's desire." He has promised, "I will give them a heart to know me, that I am Jehovah: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God; for they shall return unto me with their whole heart'' (Jeremiah 24: 7). Here, then, is our starting place. If you realize that your heart's desire is not what it should be, confess it to the Lord, and claim this promise. "Delight thyself also in Jehovah; and he will give thee the desires of thy heart'' (Psalm 37: 4).

We should not be satisfied until our heart's desire is also for others, "that they may be saved.'' So few, so very few, have such a heart's desire in our day. This accounts for the feeble efforts being made to win the lost. Surely if we have the heart of Christ we, too, will long for the sheep "which are not of this fold'' (John 10: 16). We will want to do all within our power to win them before it is too late. Our heart's desire will be included in our "supplication to God.'' Then some day it can be said to God concerning us, "Thou hast given him his heart's desire'' (Psalm 21: 2).